I agree, Aiko looks much older than Elisabeth even though Aiko's younger by about 5 weeks. She also looks a fair bit taller but it might be because Aiko's parents are quite short when compared to Philippe and Mathilde who both look to be over 5'10" in height. Masako is shorter than 5'5" (one of the requirements of a prospective bride to the Japanese royal family)...the Crown Prince looks to be a little shorter.

NASUSHIOBARA, JAPAN - OCTOBER 4: Crown Prince Naruhito (R), Crown Princess Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko are pictured upon their arrival at Nasushiobara station on October 4, 2004 in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

Is the Crown Princess Masako OK now? I feel bad for her to be under so much stress but am pleased her husband is open about it and supportive. She is an admirable individual in all respects. I wish her only the best.

20 OCTOBER 2004
Japan's Empress Michiko has spoken out about her daughter-in-law's ongoing emotional troubles. In a statement issued to mark her 70th birthday, Emperor Akihito's wife offered her sympathy to Princess Masako, but seemed to hint that she should rise to the challenge of her responsibilities.

"When a member of a family is suffering, it is a source of sadness for everyone in the family," she said. "It's not only I, but all the members of our family who wish for the crown princess' recovery and want to be of help to her."

Masako has only appeared in public on a handful of occasions in the last year, as she struggles with what the Imperial Household has termed an "adjustment disorder". Her husband Crown Prince Naruhito provoked controversy in May when he said she had become exhausted after ten years trying to adapt to royal life.

The Harvard-graduate, who was a career diplomat before her marriage, was also said to be under pressure to produce a male heir. So far she and Naruhito have only had one child, little Princess Aiko, who was born in 2001.

But Empress Michiko, who was the first commoner to marry into Japan's royal family, seemed to indicate she had felt many of the same pressures in her time. "During all the years since, the sense of heavy responsibility has stayed with me all the time that I should not disgrace the Imperial Family, with its long history, who accepted me, an ordinary citizen, as crown princess."

The conservatism of Japan's Imperial Household is well known, and Michiko also voiced her desire that Masako should help the ancient institution to modernise. "I sincerely hope that the two Princesses, Masako and Kiko, will spend long years as members of the Imperial Family, and will be able to see not only the things that I have done, but also the many things that I have not been able to do, so that they will continue to add more to the Imperial Family, fulfilling what I have been unable to accomplish."

Photo: The Empress stepped out with her daughter-in-law when Naruhito gave a violin recital in 2003. "It's not only I, but all the members of our family who wish for the crown princess' recovery," she said

A solution to the long-running concerns over the future of Japan's Imperial dynastic line appears to be in sight, after the country's ruling party decided to draw up a constitutional amendment allowing a woman to accede to the throne.

The amendment will pave the way for the current crown prince's daughter, little Princess Aiko, to one day become Empress of her country. One person who will be particularly happy to receive the news is her mother, who has been under intense pressure to produce a male heir. Crown Princess Masako, who had a promising career as a diplomat before marrying into the Imperial family, has been living in virtual seclusion for the last year. The 40-year-old was diagnosed as suffering from an "adjustment disorder" caused by the pressures of her role.

"She seems worn out in her efforts to adjust to royal life over the past ten years," explained her husband Naruhito. "I feel there is so much pressure only on the issue of an heir."

The Liberal Democratic Party is expected to confirm the changes next month, before presenting a final draft in 2005. In order for a constitutional revision to be enacted in Japan, it must be approved by public referendum and win a two thirds majority in both houses of parliament. But it seems almost certain the plan will get the green light, as a recent poll showed 78 per cent of lawmakers and 65 per cent of the electorate were in favour.

1. Masako and Aiko wave to wellwishers on a rare public appearance last September
2. If the amendment is approved, little Aiko may one day become Empress of Japan

TOKYO, JAPAN: Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito smiles on arrival for a reception hosted by Denmark's Queen Margrethe II at the Akasaka State Guesthouse in Tokyo, 17 November 2004. The Danish royals are now here on a five-day state visit to Japan, plus a three-day personal holiday in Okinawa.

Polfoto 18-11-2004 Japanese Crown Princess Masako, right, smiles in a car, along with her husband Crown Prince Naruhito, on the arrival at the Imperial Palace to meet Danish Queen Margrethe and her husband Prince Henrik, in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2004. Danish Queen Margrethe is on a week-long state visit to Japan.

Polfoto 18-11-2004 Japanese Crown Princess Masako, right, smiles in a car, along with her husband Crown Prince Naruhito, on the arrival at the Imperial Palace to meet Danish Queen Margrethe and her husband Prince Henrik, in Tokyo, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2004. Danish Queen Margrethe is on a week-long state visit to Japan.

Glad to see her appearance back...she looked much better in this photo than the one in (similar) picture which taken a couple months ago (see Jun5 post no 60 in this thread)

19 November 2004 TOKYO - Japan’s Crown Princess Masako has met with visiting Queen Margrethe of Denmark but that does not mark her return to official duties after nearly a year in seclusion with a stress-related illness, a palace official said on Friday.

Masako, 40, and her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito, spent about an hour chatting with Margrethe late on Thursday at the Emperor’s palace after the queen, who has spent the week in Japan, asked to meet them.

“Yesterday’s meeting with the Danish queen was mainly along the lines of a family chat,” said an official at the Imperial Household Agency, which looks after the imperial family’s affairs.

“It does not mean the princess is taking up her official duties again. From what I hear, she still has some good days and some bad days,” the official said.

Newspaper photos showed a healthy-looking Masako smiling from a car window as she and the prince arrived at the palace.

Crown Prince Naruhito went to Denmark earlier this year for the wedding of Margrethe’s son, Crown Prince Frederik, but Masako, who has not taken part in any official duties since last December, was unable to attend.

She has appeared in public only rarely over the past year.

Palace officials said in July that she was suffering from an ”adjustment disorder”, a mental condition caused by stress.

Her husband set off a furore in May when he said that Masako, once a cheerful and outgoing career diplomat had become exhausted by 10 years of trying to adapt to palace life.

Royal watchers say much of the stress comes from pressure on her to produce a male heir and from moves to prevent her from acting as a sort of royal envoy overseas.

The couple has one daughter, two-year-old Aiko, and laws prohibit female succession. No boys have been born into the imperial family since Naruhito’s younger brother, Akishino, was born in 1965.

The conservatism of Japan's Imperial Household is well known, and Michiko also voiced her desire that Masako should help the ancient institution to modernise. "I sincerely hope that the two Princesses, Masako and Kiko, will spend long years as members of the Imperial Family, and will be able to see not only the things that I have done, but also the many things that I have not been able to do, so that they will continue to add more to the Imperial Family, fulfilling what I have been unable to accomplish."

I hope that's a message from the Empress to the Household to tell them to stop hinting about Naruhito divorcing Masako and finding himself a wife to breed sons.